How Social Support and Parent–Child Relationships Related to LGBTQ+ College Students’ Academic Challenges During COVID-19

Yuan Zhang, Miranda R. Garcia and Eva. S. Lefkowitz ()
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Yuan Zhang: School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Miranda R. Garcia: Women’s Resource Center, Student Engagement and Wellbeing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Eva. S. Lefkowitz: Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 85287, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the living arrangements of many college students in the United States, potentially impacting their academic development, which plays a critical role in their mental health. At the start of the pandemic, university closures led to an abrupt transition from face-to-face instruction to online instruction, which may have caused significant challenges for college students, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others who identify as having a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity (LGBTQ+). To identify academic challenges and associated protective factors, we examined LGBTQ+ college students’ social support from family and friends, the parent–child relationship quality, and their associations with academic challenges during the first months of the pandemic. The results of online surveys indicated that LGBTQ+ college students ( N = 408; Mean Age = 20.4 yrs) who reported less family support and worse relationship quality with their parents perceived that academics had become relatively harder than before the pandemic. In contrast, friend support was unrelated to perceived academic challenges. These findings underscore the potentially protective role of supportive and high-quality relationships with family. The findings also provide insight into how universities could support students’ academic success during other temporary academic breaks and sudden, unplanned disruptions, such as hurricanes or other weather-related events, which is essential in promoting LGBTQ+ college students’ mental health and academic success.

Keywords: COVID-19; LGBTQ+ college students; academic challenges; social support; parent–child relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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